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doubtful
@SecretSquirrel, You wrote, "just letting you all know that I won't continue on this board because I see some things in the messages here which are truly negative and even disturbing. ........... 3. Finally, most disturbing to me is the recent discussion of misfortune of SGI members citing names and with editorial description - this is the exact same behavior people have decried here and I find it offensive."
........... Because we were passionate about our practice and membership some of us are passionate about our departure or recovery from the experience. You think it was tasteless for us to post the names of leaders who met with tragedy, but you should remember that many members have been repeatedly told that they would meet misfortune for leaving the organization or the practice. This was so real that it kept many from leaving much sooner. Consequently, it is necessary to include names of leaders because otherwise it would sound like hearsay, like something unsubstantiated.
I posted on the misfortunes of devout SGI members. Why? It was not out of spite or dislike for any of the individuals involved. I am sorry that they had to suffer serious illness, injury, or the loss of loved ones. However, this is relevant, necessary information.
First, I did not reveal any secrets; these events have been public knowledge for a long time, and have been published elsewhere on the web. Some aspects of these events have even been discussed in SGI publications, though with a different twist.
More importantly, SGI has told members for years -- in meetings, in guidance, and in its publications -- that this practice protects you and helps you solve problems and achieve goals. Members with unresolved family, health, financial, or other problems are often guilt tripped and told that the problem is their lack of faith, not supporting SGI enough, or not chanting enough. Many members have posted on this thread about having such experiences. They've suffered from mental illness in the family, a miscarriage, or sickness -- and instead of being compassionate, leaders criticize them for not getting more guidance, or not chanting more! In eighteen years of practice, I also witnessed many times, leaders telling members that if they left SGI, they would experience terrible catastrophes and misfortunes.
I practiced eighteen years, despite much discomfort with some of the organization's practices, and many red flags. I tried so hard to "be the change you wish to see," but I found that SGI was never going to change, no matter what members like me did or said. Other people have posted similar experiences on this thread. We did care about SGI. We wanted to make SGI a better organization. SGI did not want members like us. We were left with no choice but to leave.
It was only after leaving that I began to see how much my thinking had been manipulated by SGI. I did fear that terrible things would happen to me or to my family because I left, and began to criticize SGI. And again, I found that I wasn't the only ex-SGI member with these fears.
If you're going to say things that make someone anxious -- it's reasonable to ask, "Where is your evidence?" THAT was my purpose for posting the information that I did -- to examine the evidence. For me, there simply isn't evidence that following SGI's party line makes you exempt from serious illness, misfortune, or loss of loved ones. I also don't find evidence that leaving or criticizing SGI causes bad luck.
Again, I did not post to gloat about the misfortunes of those SGI members. I would never wish this level of pain and suffering on anyone. My hope is that SGI members , or ex-SGI members can read it and think. SGI's teachings about how supporting SGI protects you and leaving SGI causes misfortune affected my life in a very negative way. I stayed in SGI longer than I wanted to, for the wrong reasons, and I felt terrible, unneccessary anxiety and fear when I left.
I hope, that if someone reading this thread feels the way I felt -- reading the posts might encourage them to examine their own superstitious thinking. I want people to know that they don't have to stay in SGI because of fear. If they choose to stay because they love it, fine. But staying in an organization that you dislike, just because you are afraid that something awful will happen if you leave -- that's just no good.
The truth is, good and bad things happen to everyone, no matter what their religion. Staying in SGI and chanting a lot will not protect you from misfortune, and leaving SGI will not automatically bring misfortune down upon your head. I just don't want people to be intimidated when they don't have to be. And as Doubtful said, if there were no names, people might think that I made all this up.
Secret Squirrel, I am sorry that you are leaving this thread, but glad that you wrote what you did. It gave me an opportunity to clarify my own thinking on this issue, both to myself and others.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/2010 09:23PM by tsukimoto.